Washing apparatus



March 21, 1933. G. J. MEYER WASHING AP-PARATUS Original Filed Jan. 24

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Marchzl, 1933. J, MEYER 1,902,253

WASHING APPARATUS original Filed Jan. 24. 1925 2 sheets-sneer 2 wITNEssEs lNoR.

BY I v M ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES `PATENT orifice GEORGE J. MEYER, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO'GEO. J'. MEYER MANU'- FAG'IURING COMPANY, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WIS- 00N SIN WASHING APPARATUS Original application filed `January 24, 1925, Serial No. 4,455. Patent No. 1,287,993, dated January 6, 1931.

Divided and this application iIed September 17, 1927. Serial 110.220,141.

An object of the invention is to provide a bottle cleaning machine including simple and inexpensive pumping means for furnishing timed bottle washing and rinsing sprays,

thereby rendering it possible to finally rinse the bottles with water other than that furnished by theusual water supply, such as a sterilizing solution, or to furnish both washing and rinsing sprays when the necessary water pressure is not available on service mains, and in other cases to reclaim the rinsing water from the final spray for use in other sprays.

Another object of the invention is the provision of pump operating means whereby several successive sprays are furnished to the bottles during each pause in the travel of the bottle conveyor. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a bottle cleaning machine having simple and durable means for smoothly controlling the intermittent travel of the conveyor advancing the bottles through the machine.

A further object is to provide a bottle cleaning machine including guide members between which the bottles travel in inverted position for preventing their lateral deflec# tion.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth Aand particularly definedby thel annexed claims.

' This application constitutes a division of my co-pending application for bottle cleaning machines, Serial No.4,455, filed January 24,1925.'

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side velevation of fa bottle cleaning machine embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;

` Fig. 3 is a det-ail view of the bottlecon- Y ve or im ellin means- Fig. 4 is a detail sectional view taken on In these drawings-the numeral 25 desig-Il nates a frame of suitable construction supi porting angle and channel guides 26 on which travel the rollers 27 of conveyor chains carrying transversely-extending rows of bottle-holding pockets 28, as seen in' Figs. 2 and 6. Thel bottle conveyor thus formed is mo'ved'intermittently, step by step, by iinpelling means 29, hereinafter more particularly described, engaging the chains for moving the conveyor in its guides in the diarection indicated by arrows. The conveyor includes upper and lower horizontal iights,

which move in opposite directions,l and a descending vertical fiight at one end of' the machine adjacent which loading and unloading devices 30 and l31,-respectively, are disposed for attention by the same operator.

The lower horizontal flight of the conveyor travels through a soaking tank 32 containing a cleaning solution in' which the up- .right bottles 38 are soaked durin their travel toward the ascending flight of t e conveyor (not shown). The bottles entering the solution in a horizontal position in which they are partly iilled and are then turned to an upright position in which they are completely filled.4 The intermittent travel of the bottles through the tank causes agitation-of thel solution of the bottles surrounding them which aids in loosening the labels. In their further travel tothe upper flight of the conveyor, the bottles become inverted' and are emptied offtheir solution, which is returned to thetak. v

After thorough draining, the bottles are rinsed and raised out of the conve or pockets 28 to project them against an between rotary cleaning brushes 34 for outside and bottom cleaning, vas more particularly dis- 4 plication Serial No. 7,862 of George are discharged at the descending end of the conveyor, as hereinafter described.

In the present instance the last rinsing operations are accomplished by pumping apparatus including a plunger ,pump 134 for furnishing rinsing sprays. he pump includes a pump barrel 136 in which reciprocates a plunger or piston 137 pivotally connected to a reciprocatory plunger rod '135. A conduit 138, having therein a check valve 140, leads from the pump barrel 136 up to apertured rinsingspray pipes 139 disposed vbelow the necks of some of the inverted bottles in the upper flight of the bottle conveyor. A reservoir 141 is connected to the pum barrel 136 by a conduit 142 which inclu es a check valve 143.

Upon the suction stroke of the pump Water is drawn `from .the reservoir 141, the

check'valve 140'beingthen closed, `*and upon.

the succeeding pressure stroke of the pump the check valve 143 closes, while the check valve 140 is open, and water is then delivered under pressure through the conduit 138 and'- to the s ray pipes 139 below the then stationary ottles 38. Rinsing sprays are thus projected into the bottles, and the water 'draining from the bottles is collected in a tray 144, whence it returns through a pipe 144 to the reservoir 141 for further use. With the above arrangement the spra s furnished by the rinsing pipes 139 are t e final rinsing sprays and the water used for such sprays preferably contains a steri izing agent in solution. Since the same w: ter

can be used repeatedly the sterilizing operation iscarried out economically.A

In order to obtain a pressure stroke of the pump plunger at a time when the bottles in the intermittently moving conveyor are stationary, the plunger rod 135 co-operates with l hooked-free endportions 147 to engage the rollers 27 of the conveyor chains and each pusher .bar carries nearl its hooked end .a lifter member 148 having a laterally extendilange 149.' A groove 150 is formed longitudinally in the under side ofthe flange andthe forward end-of the flange is preferablyupwardly curved. Rocker arms 151 are secured at opposite ends of a rock shaft I 152 journalled in the frame of the machine ,and operated in any suitable manner, as by a rotary cam 152. Each rocker arm carries a roller 153 engageable with the under side of the flange 149 of the pusher bar lifter member 148, a peripheral flange 154 on the roller being disposed in the groove 150 in the lifter member to prevent lateral movement of the free end of the pusher bar.

A bell crank 170 is secured at one end of the rock shaft 146 and one arm. of the bell crank is connected to a link 171 which has its other end pivotally mounted on an eccentric portion of a wheel 172 carried on a shaft 173, which latter is thus constituted a crank shaft. The other arm of the bell crank 170 is connected to the plunger rod 135 for eectin the reciprocation of the plunger 137 of t e plunger pump, the parts being so related thatthe plunger 137 is on its pressure stroke every time the pusher 'bars 29 are being retracted and on its suction stroke every time the pusher bars are projected forwardly. -The crank shaft 173 is driven continuously by any suitable means and, has a gearin connection 174 with a cam shaft 175 whic carries the can 152', the gearing connection being such that the crank shaft rotates faster than the cam shaft by some multiple. In the present instance, the crank shaft rotates three times as fast as the cam shaft so that the plunger pump through its linkage with the crank shaft 173 is given three working strokes for every' revolution of the cam shaf which latter in each revolution controls an effects one washing cycle. During the greater part of each washlng cycle, namely ve-sixtbs, the bottle conveyor is stationary so that the then stationary bottles therein may receive various cleaning operations, all of which, among others, are controlled directly or indirectly from the cam shaft \175.` During` Itlisin'terval the hooked ends of the reciproting chain pusher bars 29 are ke t eleted out of operative connection with the conveyor chains by means of the rocker arms 151 mounted on the-rock shaft 152, the lifterv member 148 of each pusher bar riding in elevated position on the roller 153 of the -adjacent rocker arm 151 as the pusher bars 4 describe two' forward and three backward strokes. During each interval in which the bottles are stationary the plunger pump is given three working strokes 'so that the bottles receive therefrom three rinsing spray injections in each Washing cycle. Following the last of these spray injections they rocker arms 151 are depressed,4 whichplaces the hooked ends of the pusher bars 1n englagement with the conveyor chains so that vduring the 'succeeding suction stroke of the pump the pusher bars 129 are on'their conveyor-impelling y stroke. A

After this stroke f3 the rocker arms 151 are again elevated to lift the pusher bars out of operative engagement with the chain, whereupon the bottles are again subjected to various operations while the conveyor is stationary.

The three-cycle crank shaft 173, through the intermediate crank motion and pusher bars, imparts to the bottle conveyor a rapid but easy movement, the conveyor being smoothly accelerated and decelerated. The use of the crank motion insures long life with little attention, and permits the movement of the conveyor in one-sixth of the cycle of operation, thereby aifording a relatively long time interval for brushing and rinsing operations.

While in the present instance the pump-A ing means is employed to furnish sterilizing sprays from continuously -reclaimed sterilizing solution, it is also possible to employ this pumping means in various other ways; for instance, to furnish both washing and rinsing sprays when the necessary water pressure is not available on service mains, and in other cases to reclaim the rinsing water from the final spray furnished from service mains, and to use said reclaimed water, which is now slightly warmer, for other` sprays. It will apparent that the'pumpingmeans can be employed, if desired, to serve the entire machine' with timed washing and rinsing sprays,- especially in those cases where a water supply under pressure is not available or is unsuitable for the purp pose.

In order to insure the proper registration of the bottles with the spray pipes and brushes, guide or separator strips 158 are disposed longitudinally below the upper Hight of the bottle conveyor, tll'ese gulde stri s being laterally spaced to receive the neck) portions of the vinverted bottles between them, as seen in Figs. 5 and 6, and mounted at opposite ends on pedestals 180, which are secured to transverse frames or supports 159 carried on the main frame 25 of the bottle washing machine. The'pedestals 180, more remote from the loading station, are provided with pointed h'eads 160 forming extensions of the guide strips, as seen in Figs. 5 and 7, to properly guide the necks of the bottles enterin the slots between the guide strips. Eac slot includes an enlarged portion at an intermediate point in order that the bottles descending after their brushing operation may have an opportunit' to return vproperly into the slot should t e necks of such bottles be deflected laterally a suicient amount so that they rest on ythe edge portions of the guide strips.

The operation of unloading clean bottles from the descending portion of the bottle conveyor takes place simultaneously with the loading operation and at substantially the same location, in order that the same attend ant may supervise both operations and to conserve space at the oppositeend of the machine. As the conveyor comes to rest to receive a row of bottles from the loading means 30, a transversely extending bar 58 is swung forwardly on pivotally mounted supporting arms 59 to engage a row of bottles at their necks and thus eject these bottlesgin substantially horizontal position from the row of bottle-holding pockets, this row of pockets being in the descending portion of the conveyor a short distance above the point at which the bottles are loaded onto the conveyor. To receive the bottles as they leave the conveyor pockets pivotally mounted inclined bottle guides or chutes 60 are included in the bottle unloading means.

What .I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a bottle washing machine,the combination of an intermittently-traveling bottle conveyor adapted to hold bottles in invertcd position, conveyor-impelling means, aspray conduit disposed to register with the openings of said bottles during pauses in their travel, a plunger pump connected to said conduit including a plunger operatively connected with said conveyor-impelling means to be movable on a pressure stroke during pauses in the travel of said bottle conveyor for injecting a fluid spray into said bottles, and means for supplying fluid' to said pump. 2. In a bottle washing machine, `the combination of a traveling conveyor adapted to hold bottles thereon, 'conveyor-impelling means for intermittently moving said conveyor, a conduit for spraying said bottles with fluid during the pauses in the travel of the bottle conveyor, a fluid pump connected to said sprayconduit and including a reciprocatory member, and means'operatively connected with saidv conveyor-impelling means for moving said reciprocatory member on a plurality of spray-producing strokes during each pause of the bottle conveyor.

3. In a bottle washing machine, the combination of a traveling conveyor adapted to hold bottles thereon, impelling means for intermittently moving said conveyor, a conduit for spraying said bottles with fluid during the pauses in the travel of the bottle conveyor, and a plunger pump connected to said i 'hold bottles thereon, conveyor-impelling means including a reciprocatory member movable in fone direction onv its conveyorimpelling stroke and in the other directionv on an idle stroke, a conduit for furnishing fluid sprays to said bottles during the pauses in their travel, a pump connected to said conduit and including a plunger, and an -5 operative connection between said pumpl plunger and conveyor-impelling means for moving said plunger on its pressure stroke while said reciprocatory impelling member is on its idle return stroke 1 5. In a bottle washing machine, the combination of'a bottle conveyor, a shaft rotat- 'able one revolution foreach cycle of operation of the machine, a multiple revolution shaft havin .a gearing connection with said 15 one-cyc1e aft crank-operated impelling means for sai conveyor driven by said multiple revolution shaft and including a reciprocatory impelling member having an intermittent impellng connection with said conveyor, means o ratively connected with said one-cycle sha land acting on said con- -veyor-impelling meansifor rendering said reciprocatory member ineective to move said conveyor during all but one stroke thereof for each cycle of o ration of the machine, and a reciprocating pump having a connection with said multiple revolutlon shaft -for furnishing a pluralityy of bottlewashing sprays duringeach cycle of operationof the machine. c

In testmonyfwhereof I aix my signature.

GEORGE J. mumsk 

